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NDARC Seminar: A/Professor Maartje Luijten – Neurocognitive insights into addiction

Image - NDARC Seminar: A/Professor Maartje Luijten – Neurocognitive insights into addiction
Date Published:
17 Mar 2016
Contact person:
NDARC reception +61 (2) 9385 0333
Event date: 
Thursday, 17 March 2016 - 3:00pm to 4:00pm

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre is pleased to present:

Assistant Professor Maartje Luijten (Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands)
"Neurocognitive insights into addiction"

Thursday 17 March, 3pm - 4pm

Abstract:

Dual process models of addiction suggest that addictive behaviours are the result of an impaired control system, located in the prefrontal cortex, and an overactive motivational brain system in response to addiction related cues located in the mesolimbic system in the brain. Additionally, reward deficiency models suggest that addictive individuals have a blunted reward response to non-drug related cues. In this talk, Maartje Luijten will discuss neuroimaging studies that tested these different aspects of addictions models in various addictive populations, including smokers. She will also discuss how to move beyond pure lab-studies by using ecological momentary assessments and how the results of neurocognitive studies can be used to develop interventions. 

About the speaker:

Maartje Luijten was born in Breda, The Netherlands. In 2005, she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biological Psychology and in 2007 she received her Master’s degree (cum laude) for completing the research master ‘Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuropsychology and Psychopathology’. For her master thesis, she assisted in a study investigating brain functions in adolescent cannabis users at the University Medical Centre in Utrecht, where she also worked as a research-assistant after graduation. In February 2008, she started her PhD research at the Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her PhD project, supervised by Prof. Dr. I.H.A. Franken and Prof. Dr. D.J. Veltman, focused on neurocognitive processes involved in smoking behaviour. In 2011, she spent four months as a visiting academic at the Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia. After obtaining her PhD (cum laude) in 2012, Maartje worked for one more year at the Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam as a post-doc. During her post-doc Maartje collaborated with the Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University. For this collaboration Maartje spent five months as visiting researcher in Cambridge. From October 2013 onwards, Maartje has been working as assistant professor at the Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen in the research program Developmental Psychopathology.

Open to: 
Public
Location: 
NDARC Seminar Room Building R1, UNSW Australia Randwick Campus, 22 - 32 King Street, Randwick (visitors please report to reception at building R3)
Cost: 
Free - no booking required
Booking deadline: 
Contact for inquiries: 
NDARC reception +61 (2) 9385 0333